My One Companion
by Saiyaness28
Summary: Inspired by Phantom of the Opera. As a child Rebecca was abused by her father. Her only friend was a beaten and deformed boy named Gerard. Now years later she must find him to find closure. Will she find him and if so will he ever let her go? Review!
1. Chapter 1

My One Companion

(Though this story doesn't actually have anything to do with "Phantom of the Opera", it was inspired by it and the story is similar. I've had this story in my head for a while now and I felt it was time to write it down. WARNING!: This story deals with some dark subject matter such as child abuse. I will not go into explicit detail but I just thought I should warn you before hand. )

Learn to Be Lonely

Child of the wildernessBorn into emptinessLearn to be lonelyLearn to find your way in darknessWho will be there for youComfort and care for youLearn to be lonelyLearn to be your one companionNever dreamed out in the worldThere are arms to hold youYou've always known your heart was on its ownSo laugh in your lonelinessChild of the wildernessLearn to Be lonelyLearn how to love life that is lived aloneLearn to be lonelyLearn to be your one companionNever dreamed out in the worldThere are arms to hold youYou've always known your heart was on its ownSo laugh in your lonelinessChild of the wildernessLearn to Be lonelyLearn how to love life that is lived aloneLearn to be lonelyLife can be lived life can be loved alone

Ch. 1: The Boy In the Cellar

"HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!", my breath came out in wild gasps as I ran through the wheat field, my lungs burning, and legs trembling. "Rebecca!" screamed the beast behind me, his loud footsteps pounding in my head. I leapt across the country road that separated our land from our neighbor's. The old farm house that stood on the left side of us had a storm cellar. When I came to the doors, I threw them open and jumped inside. Hearing my father approaching, I quickly closed the doors and huddled in the dark cellar. "Rebecca! Come here you little whore!" My father growled. There was a loud crash as he threw his beer bottle to the ground. "Where did you go!" he screamed. My whole body shook with fear. I clasped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I couldn't let him hear me. I couldn't be found. "You can't hide forever!" he roared like the beast he was. Then he stomped off.

When I was sure he was gone, I slumped to the ground and let the tears go. "Are you okay?" asked a husky voice. I looked around the dark room for the source. That's when I noticed the scrawny little boy crouched in the darkest corner. He wore a feed bag over his head and he was completely naked except for the dirt that covered every square inch of him. "I-I'm sorry. I…I'll go home now." I squeaked. As I stood to leave, I heard him scurry over. He grabbed my wrist and before I could scream, he covered my mouth with his dirty hand. "Please, don't go." he pleaded. I could see one of his dark eyes through the holes in the feed bag. It was shimmering. It looked like he'd been crying. "Please stay, Miss. I just want to be your friend." he whispered in a pathetic strained voice. Now that he was so close, I could see the deep scratches and bruises that covered him. "Are _you _okay?" I asked. He bobbed his head stiffly, "Yes, Miss. I'm alright." He saw me looking at his many scars. "They don't hurt anymore." he added weakly. "What's your name?" I asked, sitting on the bottom step on the set of stairs that led into the cellar. "Gerard…and yours?" "Rebecca…but you can call me Becca if you want to." I replied. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I gathered up enough courage to ask, "Why are you wearing that bag over your head?" Without a pause he answered, "I have a bad face." "What do you mean?" I asked. "My face is ugly. That's why my Mommy and Daddy don't want me." He answered sadly, touching his covered face absently. "Can I see it?" I asked, I didn't really expect him to say yes, but he did. He pulled the bag off his head and…you know what? He wasn't lying."

"What did he look like?" asked Dr. Switz, my shrink. "His face was…I guess you'd say…deformed. It was really boney looking and his eyes and cheeks were sunken in. He barely had a nose. He looked like he'd been punched in the face recently, because he had a black eye. It was swollen almost completely shut. I think his lip was split too. There was a little dried blood on chin." I told the good doctor everything I remembered from that first vision of Gerard's twisted face. "Were you afraid?" she asked, scribbling something in her notebook. "Not afraid…more like shocked. I didn't feel like there was any reason to fear him. He was a mistreated kid, just like me. He couldn't help what he looked like." "What happened after that? Did you see him again?" She asked, looking at me over her glasses. A smile twitched the corner of my mouth as countless memories flashed across my vision at once. "He asked if we could be friends. I said yes. I didn't really have friends when I was little. There were kids I played with at school but they weren't real friends. They didn't know what was going on at home. And I was too ashamed to tell them. Sometimes it felt like it was just me and Gerard against the world." "You saw him often, I presume." said Dr. Switz. "Yea, whenever I needed a place to hide or got afraid or even when I just wanted to see him, I snuck over there and we played in that cramped cellar together. We played hide and go seek and other kiddy games and listened to music. His mother played the piano and his father played the violin. You could hear them playing through the floorboards. He really loved music. There was a busted old piano in the cellar. He used to play it sometimes. He'd taught himself. He was pretty good considering that half of the keys wouldn't work." I laughed lightly as I remembered the time Gerard had played "You are My Sunshine" for me in all the wrong notes. Dr. Switz smiled back at me, "Tell me more about Gerard. What kind of abuse did he endure?"

My smile vanished, "His parents were immigrants from France and they were really religious. Gerard said they thought he was a demon and that they'd been cursed with him for getting pregnant with him out of wedlock. They were ashamed so they had him there in the house and paid off the midwives to keep them quiet. They locked him up in that cellar and didn't talk about him. No one knew he existed. I don't think he even had a birth certificate. They beat him for no good reason and barely fed him. They only gave him enough to keep him alive. In their minds I guess torturing their son wasn't as bad murder. I felt really sorry for him. My dad was horrible but at least he treated me like a human being."

"Do you know what happened to Gerard after you were taken away by Child Protective Services?" I shook my head sadly, tears stinging my eyes and guilt burning a hole in my chest. "No I don't. When they came I was so relieved. I just kept my mouth shut. I didn't tell them anything about him. God, I wish I had. I wish I'd said something." I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. "He was my best friend and I just left him there." Dr. Switz handed me some tissues. She was patient with me while I pulled myself together. "I've got an idea." She began, slipping off her glasses. "I think you should go back to your home town and look for Gerard. Try to find out what happened to him. I think that most of this sadness that you are feeling is from this guilt you feel for leaving him. Closure may help cure your depression. What do you think?"

I really didn't know what to think. I hadn't been back to that god forsaken town in ten years. When I left there I had sworn to myself that I'd never go back and now I find out that I might have to. I didn't want to go back, but a then I remembered that last time I'd spoken to Gerard, and before I could stop myself I said, "Yes, I'll go back."

That afternoon when I told my adoptive mother and sister, Carol and Ashley, they looked at me like I'd gone insane. "Do you really think you're ready for that sweet heart?" my mom, Carol, asked. She reached past the Chinese take out and touched my hand. I slid my hand from beneath hers and laid it in my lap. I love my mom but I still don't like being touched in any way, not even by her. I have issues. "You don't even know if this guy's still around." Ashley added. "Ashley!" Mom snapped at her. I looked down at my hands in my lap, ashamed of myself. What kind of friend was I for abandoning him after everything he'd done for me? His parents beat him and deprived him of food. He could very well be dead by now. "I have to at least try to find him. I have to tell him how sorry I am." I said, setting my self-loathing aside. "What will you do if he's dead or something." Ashley asked. I looked up at her blonde head. "I…don't know." I answered miserably. I really didn't know and I didn't want to think about it. No amount of therapy and medication was going to help me if it turned out I'd left him there to die.

I packed my bags for the trip while Ashley sat cross-legged on my bed. "I really hop this helps you, Rebecca." she said, hugging a pillow to her chest. I grabbed a rubber band off my dresser and pulled my thick black hair up in a ponytail. "Me too, Ashley. Could you hand me my red heels?" She reached over the side of the bed and got my shoes. I took them from her and threw them into my wheelie suitcase. "What's with the fancy clothes?" Ashley asked with her wise ass grin. "Nothing." I spat at her, turning to my closet. "But you only wear that little black dress when you have a really hot date? And that's super rare." God, I wanted to slap the teeth out of her annoying teenaged head. "I just want to look nice, is that a crime!" I yelled at her, taking out my favorite pair of jeans from the closet. As I turned around I came face to face with the look I dreaded most. Ashley's "_Rebecca's got a boyfriend!_"face, that comes on right before she starts singing the dreaded, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G song". "You like him don't you?" she asked, biting her bottom lip. "Sure I do, he was my best friend." Ashley crawled over to the edge of the bed closest to me. "No, I mean you like him, like him. As in, you think he's hot." I threw a shirt at her face, "I do not." She pulled it off and threw it back at me. "Do too! I can tell by that horrified look on your face." I made a growling noise and started rummaging through the bottom of my closet for my stilettos. "So when did this start?" Ashley asked, still not willing to just let it go. I finally found my stilettos and put them in my bag, then I sat down beside her, giving up. "The night before Child Protective Services came. There was a bad storm and I got really scared. I snuck over to his place and he let me stay with him. We sat on his pallet, sharing his blanket, for a while. The rain was beating against the cellar doors. It was all you could hear. I apologized for waking him up but he said he didn't mind. He liked to help me. I don't know what came over me, I just kissed him."

"Say what!" Ashley shrieked. "You kissed him!" I bobbed my head stupidly. "Yea." She calmed herself down and looked at me seriously, "Was that like your first kiss?" I shook my head, "Not technically, but I count it as my first. I know it was his first." I laughed at Ashley as she pretended to swoon. "That's so adorably romantic!" She gave a dramatic pause then she bolted upright. "So what happened next?" I thought back to that night. I remembered he gave me this strange look afterwards, like he didn't know what to do with himself then he brushed my cheek with his hand and leaned in again. I thought he was going to kiss me again, but instead he whispered into my ear, "I'm going to get you away from here. I promise, Becca." We didn't say anything else to each other that night. Sometime or other we fell asleep and the next morning I came home to find that my mom and dad were being carted off to jail. "Nothing happened" I answered, Ashley, lost in my own thoughts, "I just went home and the next day I was gone. That was the last time I saw him."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2: The Man at the Piano

I woke up bright and early in the morning and got myself together. I brushed my tangled hair and put a little make up on. Just went through the usual motions. I was not looking forward to seeing the old neighborhood, especially not my old house. What would I do if I really found Gerard? Would he be mad at me? Would he hate me? Would he be glad to see me? I doubted that. I got dressed in my favorite black dress and heels then went out to the car with my luggage. "Good Luck." Carol hugged me tightly. Then Ashley did the same. I pulled out the drive way and began the thirty mile drive to Masqueville.

I unconsciously held my breath as I passed my old house. It loomed over me like a dark evil thing about to pounce. I pulled up into the driveway of Gerard's house and made my way towards the door. The steps beneath me creaked as I made my way up to the porch. Ivy spiraled around the porch railing and climbed up the sides of the farm house. The porch itself was covered in dirt and the paint was peeling badly. It sure didn't look like someone lived there. I opened the creaky, crooked, screen door and knocked. There was no reply. I tried several times but to no avail. I sighed. "I guess he's not here anymore." I told myself sadly. I turned and was about to head back to my car when a faint sound perked my ears. A soft melody. It was a song I knew well. I'd heard it many times before. A haunting, lonely melody. "It can't be." I gasped, astonished, turning my head towards the door again.

"Rebecca?" called an ancient voice. My head whipped back around to see Old Mrs. Smith there in her gardening get-up: a dirt covered apron, a straw hat, green gloves, and a trowel in her hand. "Oh, hi Mrs. Smith." I greeted with as big a smile as I could manage. I walked quickly off the porch and went to hug my old neighbor. She'd always been really nice to me and I had missed her. She was sort of like a grandmotherly figure. We hugged each other. It was really nice. She's one of the few people I feel comfortable with. "I never thought I'd see you again." She said, touching my cheek. Her ice blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "It's good to see you, Mrs. Smith." I replied. "What are you doing back here?" she asked, in a confused tone. I didn't blame her. This was the last place I wanted to be. "Oh" she began, glancing over my shoulder at the farm house. "Are you looking for, Gerard?" she asked with a knowing smile. I gawked at her, my mouth hanging open. "Y-you know Gerard?" Her smile grew, "Yes, I bought the house when his parents died about a year after you left and I was going to sell it once I fixed it up; but when I went inside I found him there in the basement. The poor boy had nearly starved to death. I tried to get him let me take him to the doctor but he wouldn't have it. So I nursed him back to health myself and now he lives there in that house all by himself. I run his errands for him. I can't get him to leave that house no matter what I do." I looked back at the house. "The door's locked and I don't think he can hear me over his piano. Is the cellar door open?" She nodded, "Yes, he leaves it unlocked for me so I can come and go as I please. Tell him I said hi." I thanked her and went around the house to the cellar doors.

Just as I had done a decade before, I threw the doors open and went down into the pitch black cellar. The space was smaller than I remembered. I only had to take about six steps before I came to the stairs that led to the upper levels of the house. I had never been anywhere in the house other than the cellar. It was very homey feeling. The furniture was old and the outdated wallpaper on the walls was yellowed with age. I followed the sad melody into what I guessed was a sitting room just off from the living room. There I saw a man in a white t-shirt and jeans sitting at the piano, his fingers flying across the keys. Even though I could only see the back side of him, I knew it was Gerard. No one else could become so bewitched with music. As I drew closer, I could see that his eyes were closed. He was so entranced with the sound of the piano that he probably hadn't noticed my presence. I stood a ways from him and closed my own eyes, letting myself be carried away to the dark, lonely place that the music seemed to pull me towards. It brought me right back to my many days, hiding in the cellar with him. He and I clutching each other. Those were the rare moments of happiness that I remember from my childhood. All too abruptly, the song ended and before I could stop myself I applauded.

Gerard whirled around, in shock. His hand shot up to cover his disfigured face, his cheeks going red with embarrassment. "W-who are you? What do you want?!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. I suddenly felt very stupid. I bet I just gave him a heart attack. "Hi, Gerard." I said, wringing my hands, nervously. He took a step back, pressing himself against the piano. "B-Becca?" he stuttered in disbelief. Slowly, his hand fell away from his face. It was exactly as I remembered, the distorted features had only become more pronounced with age. "Hi" I said again, "It's really good to see you, Gerard. I was so worried you…" I let my voice trail off. I really didn't want to finish that sentence. That bewildered expression on his face was still there, "What are you doing here, Becca?" He asked. It was strange to hear him say my name. His voice had gotten so much deeper. It was strange but at the same time …I kind of liked it. "I wanted to see you." I answered, daring myself to get closer. The closer I got the more I realized how much he'd changed. He wasn't that scrawny, scared, little boy anymore. He'd gained weight, he looked healthy now. His body looked strong. He was tall, his cheeks were not as sunken in, his dark eyes burned as he stared at me. I watched as he visibly relaxed. His face turned soft and he smiled. "Um…well…this is a surprise." He said with a light laugh, "It's good to see you." His face flushed.

"You too." I said. I traced my fingertips across the keys of the piano and struck a c minor. "You've gotten really good. That song was so beautiful." "Thank you" He replied in his new, deep, sensual voice. I felt his eyes on me and self consciously, tucked my hair behind my left ear. Why was I acting like a fifth grader with a crush? This was Gerard, my best friend! Just because he got a little bigger didn't mean he was any different. So why was my heart racing twenty billion miles a minute? I turned my head and saw he had indeed been staring at me. My face turned several shades of violet. "What?" I asked uncomfortably. He tore his eyes away from me, as if just realizing what he'd been doing. "Sorry…it's just…I can't believe it's really you." He smiled a crooked grin, "You're really beautiful." He swallowed hard and sat back down at his piano without looking at me. I didn't know what to say to that. I swear I could feel myself breaking out in a cold sweat. "Err…um…I brought you a treat." I stuttered, as I pulled a zip locked bag filled with brownies out my purse. It's weird how something so simple as sweets can make a grown man revert back to a little kid in a instant. When he saw the brownies, his whole face lit up with excitement. He took the bag from me and stared at it. "I remember when you used to sneak these over to me." He said, practically drooling. "Yea, I thought you might like them." I said. They were my sad idea of a peace offering.

"Let's share them!" Gerard said, taking me by the hand and leading me towards the kitchen. I stared in confusion at our clasped hands. Did my heart just skip a beat? "Um…Gerard, they're your brownies. I really don't want any. I made them just for you." I mumbled. He glanced over his shoulder at me, his smile bright. "Nonsense, I can't eat these all by myself. Besides, it'll be just like old times, back in the cellar."

I sat down at the kitchen table and watched as he poured us some milk. Then he sat down we began eating. He was chowing down, stuffing in as much brownie as his mouth could hold, but I only nibbled at mine. I didn't have much of an appetite. I was very aware of how quiet and dimly lit the house was. Sure he had Mrs. Smith but I bet it was really lonely living in this old house. "I'm sorry" I whispered to my brownie. I couldn't look at him. I was so ashamed. "For what?" he asked, confused. "For not telling C.P.S about you. I should have said something. I shouldn't have left you behind. I'm so sorry!" I hid my face in my hands. My shoulders shook as I cried. Then I felt warm hands touch my skin and they pulled my hands away from my face. "You think I'm mad at you?" he asked with such a kind look on his face. He almost looked like he was going to laugh. "Becca, _I'm_ the one who called C.P.S. If I'd wanted help I would have asked for it." I stared into his eyes. My mind searching for answers within their darkness. "You called them?" I didn't understand. He got me help but didn't get any for himself? He nodded, "I couldn't stand that you were being hurt. I didn't want you to live like that anymore. Even if it meant I'd have to say goodbye." I blinked away the tears that had beaded in my eyes , they dripped down my face slowly as I burrowed my eyes into his face. "Why would you do that? Your parents were so horrible to you. Why didn't you get help for yourself?" He shook his head, strands of his black hair fell loosely across his forehead. "If I had, what do you think would've happened to me? They would've taken me out to a world that I'm not prepared for. All I've ever known is this house. I would've ended up in a psyche ward. No, this is where I was born and where I will someday die. I will never know the world outside of that door. And I'm okay with that." He leaned in closer, his breath smelled of chocolate. "As long as I know that you're happy somewhere. I'll be okay. You are happy, right?" I nodded, wiping away the moisture on my cheeks. "Yes, Yes! I'm very happy!" He pulled me closer and held me tight. My head rested against his chest. "Then I'm happy. That's all I've ever wanted. To make you happy." He whispered. I don't think I've ever hated myself more than at that moment. That's all I ever wanted for him as well, but I never did anything to make that happen. He had and it was because of him that I had such a great life now.

He pulled away from me and leaned back in his seat. He took another bite of his sixth brownie and gulped down some milk. "So, Becca, what have you been up to these past ten years?" Gerard asked after swallowing. I sipped from my milk and thought about what to say. "I…um…I got adopted by some really nice people not long after I left here. Their names are Carol and Dave Devani. They have a daughter named Ashley. Unfortunately Dave passed away of a heart attack two years ago so its just Carol, Ashley and I now; but we're pretty happy anyway. I love them all very much." I added with a warm smile. It did my heart good just to think about them. "That sounds great! Do you have a job?" He asked, his eyes glimmering with happiness. I nodded, "Yea, I teach music." Gerard gawked at me in amazement, "Seriously?" "At an elementary school." I added with a laugh. Gerard quickly joined in. "Is there anyone special in you life, like a boyfriend or husband or…something" Gerard asked, after we had calmed down. He blushed violently. I felt my own cheeks grow warm, "Nope" I answered, truthfully. Dating was a difficult subject for me. I heard Gerard let out a breath. It sounded almost like a sigh of relief. "What about you? I asked. "I can't say that I have a girlfriend." he answered, with a chuckle. I shook my head, "No, I meant, what have you been up to?" He picked up another brownie but didn't bite into it. He just held it in his hand and stared at it, as if studying ever morsel. "Not much. I usually just play my piano all day long and compose music." That won my interest! "You write songs?" He looked down the hall at the piano in the sitting room. "I try. When I'm done I give the finished work to Mrs. Smith and she sells it the music companies for me. We split the money 50/50. I don't know what I'd do without that old woman." I reached out and took Gerard's hand. I squeezed tightly and smiled my biggest smile. "That's absolutely amazing, Gerard! I'm so proud of you!" I told him. His eyes lit up and I felt him squeeze my hand back.

We talked that whole afternoon. We reminisced about the past, told each other our dreams for the future. I'd really like to work my way up to a university level teaching job. I was surprised that all he really wanted for himself in the future was to be able to see a live performance of his work. It's a big deal to him, I guess. I mean he would have to leave the house to do something like that. The end of the day came way too quickly. "Well, it's getting dark. I better get going." I said, stepping away from the stained window. "You're leaving?" asked Gerard, as he picked up our empty plates from the table. "Yea, I still have to check in at the motel." I grabbed my purse from the couch and headed for the door. I had just opened it when Gerard slammed it shut again. "Gerard?!" I shrieked. It really scared me. Suddenly he took me into his arms and held me so tightly it was hard to breathe. He ran his fingers through my hair and pressed my cheek against his chest. "Please don't go!" Gerard pleaded. "Stay, just a little longer." Despite my better judgement, I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back. "Okay." I answered, letting myself be swept away by the relief of having my dearest friend safe and sound in my arms.


End file.
